Email: asamoya_kirameki@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Voyager is, in my opinion, one of the coolest shows ever made... so cool that it most definitely could not have been invented in my humble imagination.
Author's Notes: This just came from nowhere one day. And yes, I realize that this story is very open-ended... I tend to do that a lot with my writing lately. It may be easy to guess who the male of this conversation is, and it may not; I'll leave that up to you. Tell me who you think it is when you finish reading it. I'm curious to see your opinions.
~~~~****~~~~
Cultural Studies
by Monomania
"Is that a hint?" she inquired. There was the slightest trace of a wry smile on her lips.
"No, I didn't say that," he said, a smile upon his face as well, but for a different reason. "It was merely a... suggestion."
"Humans rarely say things that have no meaning, literal or implied." She stated this in a tone of voice that told him this piece of information should have been obvious. He laughed.
"Well, you've got me there. I just... I think it's important for you to explore your humanity, Seven. You've been on this ship a long time. Haven't you ever felt the need to connect with anybody... even for a moment?"
"No." Even as the word left her lips she knew it was a lie. He knew it, too. He moved closer and looked her in the face; a confrontational position. She recognized this and met his eye.
"I don't believe that. You've been around me too long to keep fooling me, Seven. No being with even a bit of human in them can live without companionship. You haven't tried to make friends - not really - but you made them anyway. You're invaluable to our crew, and I don't think I'm the only one who's developed amiable feelings towards you. It's hard, though, to be friends with a person who just won't respond." His voice was charged with meaning, and it almost made Seven uneasy, though she would die rather than admit it to anyone.
"It is... difficult for me to be sure of what I am required to do in social situations." She spoke a little haltingly, but with her accustomed Borg frankness. "Things like 'small talk' and 'idle chatter' puzzle me. The Borg do not engage in such abstract means of communication."
"Maybe not. But you're still human, and you know that the crew is always here to help you. Think of it as... a cultural study." His customary good humor was resurfacing, and that somewhat mischevious light was returning to his eyes. Seven couldn't help wondering, despite herself, what it was that he was really thinking. Humans were confusing to her in that way. So much more was said in an action or facial expression than she could ever have imagined.
"I suppose that cultural studies could be considered a worthwhile endeavor." A wide smile appeared on his face, as though she had just made a joke, which Seven found even more puzzling. But then, many members of the crew had smiled in similar fashions when she had said nothing of any great "humor" that she could tell.
"In any case, Seven..." He paused, and those eyes seemed to try and read her very thoughts, but Seven did not shrink. After all, wasn't she still part Borg? "Consider what I've said to you. I bet you'd find more fulfillment in relationships with other people than you'd think." And knowing the perfect moment to finish speaking, as he always did, he exited the cargo bay, the doors swishing shut behind him.
For a long time after that, though Seven stood by her console with her fingers hovering over the key pads, her eyes were aimlessly preoccupied, fixed on some random line in the cargo bay walls. She was thinking.
Perhaps... perhaps she would comply with his suggestion after all.
~*~
Disclaimer: Voyager is, in my opinion, one of the coolest shows ever made... so cool that it most definitely could not have been invented in my humble imagination.
Author's Notes: This just came from nowhere one day. And yes, I realize that this story is very open-ended... I tend to do that a lot with my writing lately. It may be easy to guess who the male of this conversation is, and it may not; I'll leave that up to you. Tell me who you think it is when you finish reading it. I'm curious to see your opinions.
~~~~****~~~~
Cultural Studies
by Monomania
"Is that a hint?" she inquired. There was the slightest trace of a wry smile on her lips.
"No, I didn't say that," he said, a smile upon his face as well, but for a different reason. "It was merely a... suggestion."
"Humans rarely say things that have no meaning, literal or implied." She stated this in a tone of voice that told him this piece of information should have been obvious. He laughed.
"Well, you've got me there. I just... I think it's important for you to explore your humanity, Seven. You've been on this ship a long time. Haven't you ever felt the need to connect with anybody... even for a moment?"
"No." Even as the word left her lips she knew it was a lie. He knew it, too. He moved closer and looked her in the face; a confrontational position. She recognized this and met his eye.
"I don't believe that. You've been around me too long to keep fooling me, Seven. No being with even a bit of human in them can live without companionship. You haven't tried to make friends - not really - but you made them anyway. You're invaluable to our crew, and I don't think I'm the only one who's developed amiable feelings towards you. It's hard, though, to be friends with a person who just won't respond." His voice was charged with meaning, and it almost made Seven uneasy, though she would die rather than admit it to anyone.
"It is... difficult for me to be sure of what I am required to do in social situations." She spoke a little haltingly, but with her accustomed Borg frankness. "Things like 'small talk' and 'idle chatter' puzzle me. The Borg do not engage in such abstract means of communication."
"Maybe not. But you're still human, and you know that the crew is always here to help you. Think of it as... a cultural study." His customary good humor was resurfacing, and that somewhat mischevious light was returning to his eyes. Seven couldn't help wondering, despite herself, what it was that he was really thinking. Humans were confusing to her in that way. So much more was said in an action or facial expression than she could ever have imagined.
"I suppose that cultural studies could be considered a worthwhile endeavor." A wide smile appeared on his face, as though she had just made a joke, which Seven found even more puzzling. But then, many members of the crew had smiled in similar fashions when she had said nothing of any great "humor" that she could tell.
"In any case, Seven..." He paused, and those eyes seemed to try and read her very thoughts, but Seven did not shrink. After all, wasn't she still part Borg? "Consider what I've said to you. I bet you'd find more fulfillment in relationships with other people than you'd think." And knowing the perfect moment to finish speaking, as he always did, he exited the cargo bay, the doors swishing shut behind him.
For a long time after that, though Seven stood by her console with her fingers hovering over the key pads, her eyes were aimlessly preoccupied, fixed on some random line in the cargo bay walls. She was thinking.
Perhaps... perhaps she would comply with his suggestion after all.
~*~